Why Samsung will thrive during 2013’s smartphone profit slowdown

Unlike a lot of smartphone vendors, Samsung has a pretty good business to fall back on in case smartphone demand dries up. The Wall Street Journal reports that Samsung is increasingly relying on its component supply business “to drive earnings at a time when smartphone profits appear to be hitting a plateau.” Samsung, of course, has long been a key component supplier not just for its own popular line of smartphones but for Apple’s iPhone and iPad. What’s more, the Journal notes that the company “is the world’s biggest supplier of memory chips, displays and televisions by revenue.” In other words, Samsung seems to have its bases pretty well covered in the event that smartphone profits have already peaked, which is a lot more than can be said for other key vendors in the market.